Angie DeWaard is running for director on the Ames Community School District Board to continue her work in the community.
DeWaard currently lives in Ames and is an Iowa native, growing up in Ogden and graduating from Ogden High School. DeWaard graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s in English. She also holds a variety of licenses she obtained through her work with software companies.
DeWaard has seven years of political experience through a variety of city organizations, including being appointed by the mayor to the Ames Public Art Commission, serving as the chair of the Public Art Commission and serving on the Human Relations Commission.
She is also involved in volunteer work at her children’s schools and has previously served on the board of Eagles Loft Early Learning Center and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at Kate Mitchell Elementary. Recently, she has served as PTA president for three years at Kate Mitchell Elementary. DeWaard is also a member of the School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC), which was responsible for the recent superintendent search and selection process.
The city and school elections in Ames will take place Nov. 7. Voter information can be found on the city of Ames website.
Why are you running?
DeWaard: I feel personally very firmly that, at least for me, it’s part of the social contract to give back to the community that you receive benefits from. So, I feel like donating my time, donating my services in any way that I can is important. I also feel like it gives a good example for my own kids. I try to teach them to be good citizens, so those are some of the high-level reasons why I do any community service. I am specifically involved with the school board because I feel very firmly about public education. I feel very firmly that Dr. Lawson, the new superintendent, is the right fit and we need to get people who will advocate for him and trust him to execute his vision. That’s one of the biggest jobs of the school board is to support the administration and vote on different policies, and I really feel like supporting him would be a pleasure to be able to do.
What are the biggest issues facing the Ames community and how do you plan to address them?
DeWaard: The main things that the school board can actually physically do are hire and terminate the superintendent, help set the budget and help create policies for the school district. … One of the big things that are a trouble to the district that they can’t really change is funding at the state level. We have almost no support for public schools at our state level, and that’s a problem. …
There is also Senate File 496, which is something that has a lot to unpack and little guidance. There are big repercussions if you don’t follow it. … What the school board can do is enact policies and support what the district is doing to try and follow those guidelines in a way that empowers our students.
Mental health is one of the other big issues, especially post-pandemic. Mental health can lead to other issues that occur, you know, behavior issues, attendance issues. These can stem from mental health issues, and the district has a great mental health subcommittee and strategic plan to try and focus on getting resources to the students as much as possible.
What plans or initiatives do you plan to continue or begin at the start of a new term?
DeWaard: I really feel firmly that [Ames Superintendent Julious Lawson] has a very specific vision … things like the Ames Center, attendance initiatives, boosting math scores because that is an area where Ames is a little bit weak. Those are types of initiatives that I would like to help, and he needs a chance to let those initiatives play out. … I really think a lot of what I want to focus on is looking at the data and supporting initiatives he is trying to put into place.
